New York Launches $53 Million Credit Card Program for Migrants

(ConservativeInsider.org) – New York City, which proudly calls itself a “sanctuary city” is rolling out a new plan to give pre-paid credit cards to the illegal immigrants who have decided to call the city their new home.

According to the New York Post, the pilot program will cost $53 million and is being run by Mobility Capital Finance, which is based in New Jersey. The program will start with 500 migrant families, who will be given prepaid cards to help them purchase food. The cards are only supposed to be used at supermarkets, convenience stores, bodegas, and grocery stores, and migrants will be required to sign an affidavit agreeing to only spend the money on food or supplies for their infants. If they are caught spending the money in other ways, they will be kicked out of the program, though it is unclear if or how the city will check to see if the funds are being misused.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams claims that the new program will save the city “millions.” Right now, the city spends about $11 per meal for each illegal immigrant residing in the city. According to the mayor’s office, the city anticipates monthly savings of $600,000, or about $7.2 million annually. The mayor’s office also claims that another benefit of the program is the ability for migrants to purchase their food fresh so they can maintain “culturally relevant diets.”

Each family will be provided a different amount based on family size. According to media reports, a family of four might be given $1,000 per month and more cash will be added every 28 days. If the mayor deems the program a success, it will be expanded to cover 15,000 migrant families currently living in New York hotels.

Currently, meals for illegal immigrants are provided by DocGo, a contractor who was award a $432 million no-bid contract with the city. However, the New York Times reported that over 70,000 meals had been “wasted” within a one-month period towards the end of 2023. If each meal costs $11, as reported by the mayor’s office, that’s a loss of $770,000.

Mayor Adams has estimated that the influx of illegal immigrants, which shows no sign of stopping anytime soon unless drastic measures are taken, will cost New York City $12 billion over the next three years.

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